Narrow Gauge

At Ffestiniog Travel, our passion for railways is about much more than timetables and destinations – it is about history, landscape, engineering and the communities who keep these remarkable lines alive.  In 2026 we are excited to once again champion some of Europe’s finest heritage and steam railways with an inspiring collection of escorted tours designed especially for enthusiasts and curious travellers alike.

A rail tour of India's remarkable Hill Station railways offers both the enthusiast and general train tourist a wonderful opportunity to experience a piece of India and railway history. To cover the Shimla, Darjeeling and Nilgiri Hill Railways in the timeframe of a regular holiday - in this case 3-weeks - requires a lot of travelling, as Ffestiniog Travel guest David Peel, found out. But the sightseeing content and railway experiences certainly made it a worthwhile odyssey. David shares his thoughts of Ffestiniog Travel's 2017 Indian Hill Railways tour in this unedited, candid account!

Ffestiniog Travel actively encourages its customers to offer feedback on the tours and holidays they have taken with us and the more elaborate the better! So again we welcome another customer blog to these pages and one that captures the essence of our annual pilgrimage to India, combining journeys on the wonderful Hill Station Railways with visiting some of the Sub-Continent’s notable landmarks. This travel blog by Dave Firth chronicles his experience of our 2016 India Tour in which he describes the practical elements of the holiday, the interesting stops along the way and of course the railway journeys themselves!

Ffestiniog Travel once again invites you to enjoy yet another wonderful photo review of one of our recent escorted rail tours by blogger Vince Chadwick. If you enjoyed Vince’s review of his previous Ffestiniog Travel tour to Ireland you will not be disappointed by his bird’s eye view and informed commentary of our Narrow Gauge Steam in Eastern Germany tour in July 2016.

Switzerland is well known for its ski resorts and chocolate, but it also boasts some incredible feats of engineering which can be admired through its many breathtaking railway networks that span the majestic Swiss Alps and provides access to some unforgettable panoramic spectacles. A rail holiday to Switzerland has become a 'must do' for many who want to explore the Swiss mountains and here seasoned tour leader Mike Fletcher shares his Top 5 Swiss Rail Journeys.

The Harz Mountains in Germany is a beautiful area to visit but what makes it even more appealing as a rail holiday destination is its narrow gauge railway which travels through stunning landscapes. Harz expert Dan May never tires of steaming through the Harz Mountains and in this blog he shares his experience of leading a tour to the region.

The marvel of human invention is never more wondrous than when it harmoniously blends with nature and when technology enables you to view the beauty of this landscape at first hand it is a marriage made in heaven. Gordon Rushton describes how a Welsh national park, two preserved railways and a special steam train are the perfect paradigm of nature, man and machine working together.

From my experience a trip to Romania promises to be something quite special. Having led several tours to the country I can categorically state that it is a wonderful destination. Ffestiniog Travel has had the privilege of working in close partnership with owner managed local operator Ramona of “My Romania” which gives added value to all FT’s Romanian operations. This association has enabled FT to become one of the UK’s leading tour operators to Romania. A day-to-day itinerary doesn’t do justice to a tour like Romania so I have written a first-hand account of the ‘Romania at Harvest Time’ tour which took place in September 2013 and I hope it provides a flavour of why Romania is a must-see destination.